Package positioning apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A method for positioning articled to be processed by a machine is performed by apparatus comprising first and second article guide members which convergently extend into an article entryway along which articles are conveyed. The guide members are spring biased into an article positioning orientation across at least a portion of the entryway and maintained in that article positioning orientation by first and second levers extending beneath the article entryway and including an interlock. The interlock releases the article guide members only upon an article contacting both of the guide members. The interlock comprises a release slot and at least one locking notch extending from one side of one end of the slot on one lever and a pin for engaging the slot and locking notch on the other lever. When the pin is engaged in the locking notch, the first and second guide members are retained in a package positioning orientation such that an article engages one or the other of the package guides and is moved laterally to a desired position by the guide as the article is conveyed along the entryway. Upon engaging both guide members, the pin is removed from the locking notch and moves within the slot to release the guide members and permit the positioned package to progress along the entryway toward a processing station of the machine.

.Iadd.This is an application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,760,granted Feb. 21, 1989 to Fritz F. Treiber. .Iaddend.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to machines for receiving andprocessing articles, and more particularly, to a method and apparatusfor positioning articles in such machines as the articles are conveyed.While the present invention is generally applicable to a variety ofmachines, it is particularly applicable to package wrapping machineswherein packages to be wrapped must be positioned at a particularlocation in a wrapping station to ensure that the packages are properlywrapped and do not jam the wrapping machines.

Article positioning within machines is commonly performed to permitstandardized or automated operations to be carried out on the articles.For example, boxes, bottles, other containers or packages may be movedto a desired position for filling, labeling, wrapping or otherwiseprocessing the article or its contents. In the prior art, a variety ofarticle positioning arrangements have been utilized.

Articles can, of course, be positioned by hand; however, hand or manualpositioning relies upon a machine operator and can result in reducedproduction and mispositioning which can jam or damage a machine. Thesimplest and most common mechanical arrangement is a plow or articleguide angularly extending into a path along which articles must pass orbe conveyed. In such article positioning arrangements, articles engageand slide along the guide until they reach a desired position defined bythe guide. Usually, such guides are manually adjustable and must be setfor a given article size or configuration.

Other prior art package positioning arrangements include activeapparatus, such as rollers and cross-belts, which are used to carrypackages in two mutually perpendicular directions to thereby conveypackages to an alignment edge of a conveyor or other desired position.Alternatively, plows or package grippers may be dynamically operated bymeans of electrical, pneumatic or hydraulic solenoids such that theyengage and force an article to a desired position. Dynamic positioningplows or package grippers are typically spring-loaded or otherwiseresilient such that they are not likely to damage articles they arepositioning.

In one article positioning application for a package elevating wrappingmachine, packages must be substantially centered on an elevator forproper wrapping and to prevent interference and/or jams with remainingportions of the machine. Such a wrapping machine is disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 4,505,092. In that patent, a combination package width sensingand centering arrangement comprises a pair of swing arms which arepivotally mounted on opposite sides of a package entryway. The swingarms are spring-biased to force the arms to angularly extend into thepackage entryway above its floor. The resiliency of the springs biasingthe swing arms into the package entryway is sufficient to permit thearms to be deflected by entering packages to thereby sense the width ofthose packages, yet tends to center packages within the entryway of themachine. While this arrangement assists package positioning or centeringwithin the machine to a limited extent, the initial positioning ofpackages by the operator is still essential to achieve proper machineoperation and/or wrapping.

Manually adjustable plows do not provide the versatility required by anautomatic machine, particularly one that is used to process a largevariety of article sizes, since an operator would be required torepetitively adjust the positioning plows manually. While themechanically operated positioning or centering devices can overcome thedifficulty of the manually adjustable plows, they require motive andcontrol apparatus which complicates and adds to the expense of machinesincluding such devices. Further, since the balance of the springs andfrictional mountings of the devices are not always perfect, articlepositioning tends to vary. Furthermore, if the spring-bias is set toohigh, lighter packages can be damaged; and, if it is set too high,heavier packages will override and defeat the positioning device.

It is, thus, apparent that the need exists for an accurate articlepositioning device which does not rely on complicated and expensivedrive mechanisms, or spring-biasing, but provides a positive preferablymechanical arrangement for consistently and inexpensively positioningarticles to be processed by a machine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems of the prior art are overcome in accordance with thepresent invention by providing a pair of article guides which arepositioned along a path which is traversed by the articles as they enterthe machine. The article guides converge toward one another when in anarticle positioning orientation to define a throat or closest approachwhich must inherently be no wider than the lateral dimension of theminimum-sized article which is to be positioned. The two article guidesare interlocked such that neither guide may be substantially moved fromthe article positioning orientation until an article has beensubstantially positioned which is signaled by both guides being engagedby the article. At that time, the interlock releases the guides to allowthe positioned article to pass into the machine.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, articlepositioning apparatus for a machine into which articles are conveyedalong an article entryway comprises first and second convergent articleguide means movably extending into the entryway for engaging andpositioning articles being conveyed along the entryway. Control meansconnected to the first and second article guide means provide formaintaining the article guide means in an article positioningorientation until both the first and second article guide means areengaged by an article upon substantial positioning of the article. Thearticle guide means preferably comprise first and second article guidemembers which are mounted along the sides of the entryway for pivotalmovement above and into the entryway. The control menas for the articleguide members comprise first and second levers which are connected tothe first and second guide members and extend beneath the entryway andinclude releasable locking means incorporated into their distal ends forlocking the first and second guide members for article positioning, withthe locking means being released upon both of the first and second guidemembers being engaged by an article.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the releasable locking meanscomprises a release slot and a locking notch extending from one side ofone end of the slot in the first lever, and a pin extending from thesecond lever for engaging the slot and locking notch. Resilient meansprovide for biasing the levers, and hence, the package guide members toan article positioning orientation wherein the pin engages the lockingnotch such that an article moving in the entryway will be positioned byengaging one of the guide members which is restrained from movement bythe pin and the locking notch until the article engages both guidemembers to remove the pin from the locking notch for movement along theslot.

In another embodiment of the article positioning apparatus of thepresent invention, the releasable locking means comprises a release slotand locking notches extending from opposite sides of one end of the slotin the first lever, and a pin extending from the second lever forengaging the slot and locking notches. Resilient means provide forbiasing the levers, and hence, the package guide members to an articlepositioning orientation wherein the pin engages one of the lockingnotches. In accordance with this embodiment, an article moving in theentryway will be positioned by engaging one of the guide members whichis restrained from movement by the pin and one locking notch until thearticle engages both guide members to remove the pin from the onelocking notch for movement along the slot. Alternately, an articlemoving in the entryway will be positioned by engaging the other guidemember which will move its associated lever to engage the pin with theother of the locking notches to restrain the levers and guide membersfrom further movement until the article engages both guide members toremove the pin from the other locking notch for movement along the slot.The levers may extend at substantially any suitable angle (acute, rightor obtuse) relative to their associated guide members, and the slot ispreferably arcuate to facilitate smooth movement of the articlepositioning apparatus.

The article positioning apparatus of the present invention can beutilized to position a variety of article sizes to ne side of an articleentryway, or to center articles upon an article entryway, or can be usedto position a given size of article at substantially any position acrossan article entryway. In the illustrated embodiments, the articleentryway extends between an infeed station and an outfeed station whichleads to an article processing station, the machine is a packagewrapping machine and the articles are hence packages.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method ofaligning articles in a predetermined lateral relationship to a conveyoralong which the articles are carried comprises the steps of: placing anarticle on the conveyor at an infeed station; engaging the article bymeans of a pusher to carry the article from the infeed station along theconveyor toward an outfeed station; locating guide members along and onopposite sides of the conveyor, with the guide members converging in thedirection of article feed and being spaced apart at their narrowestpoint of convergence by a dimension equal to or less than articles asdimensioned across the conveyor; sensing an article which is misalignedfrom a desired lateral alignment by engagement of the article with oneof the guide members; locking the guide members in an aligning positionto thereby laterally urge a misaligned article along the guide membertoward the desired lateral alignment as the article is carried along theconveyor by the pusher; sensing the desired lateral alignment of thearticle by engagement of the article with the other of the guidemembers; unlocking the guide members in response to sensing the desiredlateral alignment of the article to enable outward movement of the guidemembers to permit free passage therebetween of the aligned article; andcontinuing to push the aligned article toward the outfeed station.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to providean improved method and apparatus for article positioning which isinexpensive and avoids the need for positioning drive mechanisms orbalanced spring-biasing and which, by positive prefer ably mechanicaloperation, consistently positions articles as the articles are carriedalong a conveyor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedmethod and apparatus for article positioning utilizing first and secondarticle guide members which extend into an article entryway of a machinefor engaging and positioning articles conveyed along the entrywayincluding control means connected to the article guide members formaintaining them in an article positioning orientation until both thearticle guide members are engaged by an article once substantiallypositioned whereupon the guide members are released to permit thepositioned article to pass.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an improvedmethod and apparatus for article positioning utilizing first and secondarticle guide members convergently extending into an article conveyorfor engaging and positioning articles moving along the conveyor whereinthe guide members are controlled by means of first and second leverswhich include, respectively, a slot and at least one locking notch and apin for engaging the slot and locking notch.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description, the accompanying drawings and the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-4 are plan views of the operation of an article positioningdevice in accordance with the present invention used for centeringpackages in a package wrapping machine.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an alternate embodiment of the articlepositioning device of FIGS. 1-4.

FIGS. 6-7 are plan views of two alternate embodiments of an articlepositioning device in accordance with the present invention used in apackage wrapping machine to position or align packages to one side of apackage entryway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally applicable to article positioningincluding article centering within a variety of machines; however, it isparticularly applicable to package wrapping machines, and accordingly,will be described with reference to use in a package elevating wrappingmachine, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,092, which ishereby incorporated by reference. Since the description is made relativeto a package wrapping machine, the terms "package(s)" and "article(s)"will be used interchangeably herein; however, it should be understoodthat such terms are to be interpreted as any article which is to bepositioned for processing by a machine.

A first illustrated embodiment of article positioning apparatus inaccordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 installed on apackage entryway 100 of a package wrapping machine. Packages to bewrapped, represented by the packages 102, are placed into an article orpackage infeed station 104. The packages 102 are conveyed along theupper surface of the package entryway 100 through an outfeed station 105to an article processing station 106 located beyond the end of thepackage entryway 100. In this case, the article processing station 106comprises a package wrapping station.

In the illustrated embodiment, first and second article guide meanscomprise first and second article guide members 108, 110 which extendinto the entryway 100 for engaging and positioning packages 102 whichare being conveyed along the entryway 100. The article guide members108, 110 converge toward one another when in an article positioningorientation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to define a throat 111 orclosest approach which must inherently be no wider than theminimum-sized article which is to be positioned. The first and secondguide members 108, 110 extend toward the processing station 106 and aremounted along the sides of the entryway 100 adjacent the infeed station104 for pivotal movement about axes defined by posts 112 and 114 intoand above the entryway 100. While this form of pivotal mounting ispreferred, it is noted that mounting arrangements permitting purelylateral movement can be used in the present invention as will beapparent to those skilled in the art.

Control means comprising first and second levers 116, 118 are connectedto the article guide members 108, 110 beneath the entryway 100 via theposts 112, 114 for maintaining the article guide members 108, 110 in anarticle positioning orientation as shown in FIG. 1 until both of thearticle guide members 108, 110 are engaged by the package 102 whichsignals substantial centering of the package 102. The first and secondlevers 116, 118 include releasable locking means incorporated into theirdistal ends for locking the first and second guide members 108, 110 forarticle positioning, with the locking means being released uponengagement of both the first and second guide members 108, 110 by thepackage 102.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the locking means comprisesan arcuate release slot 120 formed in the distal end of the first lever116 and having locking notches 122, 124 extending from opposite sides ofits base or notched end. A pin 126 extends from the second lever 118 forengaging the slot 120 and the locking notches 122, 124. Resilient meanscomprising extension springs 128 bias the levers 116, 118, and hence,the package guide members 108, 110 to an article positioning orientationwherein the pin 126 engages the locking notch 122 formed into the baseor notched end of the slot 120.

Operation of the first illustrated embodiment of the article positioningapparatus of the present invention will now be described with referenceto FIGS. 1-4. As shown in FIG. 1, the package 102 is conveyed or pushedfrom the infeed station 104 through the outfeed station 105 to thewrapping or processing station 106 by means of a package pusher 130which extends above the upper surface of the package entryway 100through slots 132 in the entryway 100.

The article positioning apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, serves tocenter packages for proper positioning in the package wrapping station.Also, as the package 102 is pushed from the package infeed station 104to the processing or package wrapping station, the package is not onlycentered relative to the entryway 100, but if it is initially placedinto the machine at an angular orientation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,it will be squared or straightened out by the interaction of the package102 with the package pusher 130. This initial "squaring up" or "truing"of the package 102 is due to rotation about a contact point 134 with thepackage pusher 130 which rotates the package 102 about the contact point134 as indicated by the arrow 136 until the package 102 is squarelyengaged by the package pusher 130.

In FIG. 1 the package 102 initially engages the guide member 108 on theleft side of the entryway 100. As noted and shown, the package 102 isinitially squared up or trued by the package pusher 130. The guidemember 108 is retained from pivotal movement by the pin 126 which isengaged with the locking notch 122. Hence, as the package 102 is pushedor conveyed towards the processing station 106 it is moved to the rightas shown by the arrow 137 in FIG. 1 as the package 102 slides over theentryway 100 and along the angled interior face 108A of the guide member108.

Ultimately, the package 102 reaches the centered position shown in FIG.3 where the package 102 engages both guide members 108, 110. Uponinitial engagement of the guide member 110 by the package 102, the guidemember 110 pivots outwardly to a position where the pin 126 is removedfrom the locking notch 122 into alignment with the slot 120. Since bothguide members 108, 110 are engaged by the package 102, they will bothnow be released and pivoted outwardly as the pin 126 and the slot 120move relative to one another as shown in FIG. 4. In this way, a packagewhich is initially off-centered to the left and possibly canted orangularly oriented is squared up and centered on the package entryway100 for delivery to the processing station 106.

In FIG. 2 operation of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is shownfor a package 102 which is offset to the right of the infeed station 104and once again canted or angularly oriented. The package 102 isinitially contacted by the package pusher 130 at the contact point 134.The package 102 is initially squared up by the action of the packagepusher 130 rotating the package 102 about the contact point 134 asgenerally indicated by the arrow 136. It is noted that the rest positionof the package positioning or centering apparatus of FIGS. 1-4 is shownin FIG. 1 with the pin 126 engaging the locking notch 122.

In FIG. 2, the contact of the package 102 with the guide member 110 haspivotally moved the guide member 110 about the axis represented by thepin 114 by a short distance to transfer the pin 126 from the lockingnotch 122 as shown in FIG. 1 to the locking notch 124. Further outwardpivotal movement of the guide member 110 is restrained by the engagementof the pin 122 with the locking notch 124, since at this time thepackage 102 has not yet contacted the guide member 08 and hence there isno force tending to pivotally move the guide member 108 outwardly.

The package 102 is once again pushed or conveyed toward the processingstation 106 until the package 102 is substantially centered and contactsboth guide members 108, 110 as shown in FIG. 3. Upon the application offorce to the guide member 108 by the package 102, the guide member 108,and hence the lever 116, is pivoted to move the locking notch 124 awayfrom the pin 126. Since there is an outward force being applied to bothguide members 108, 110, the guide members 108 and 110 will both bepivoted outwardly, which pivotal movement is permitted by relativemovement of the pin 126 and the slot 120 as shown in FIG. 4. Here againthe package 102 is moved to the center of the entryway 100 by slidingmovement along the entryway 100 and along the inner face 110A of theguide member 110 as indicated in FIG. 2 by the arrow 137.

The resiliency of the springs 128 is sufficient to hold the levers 116,118 and guide members 108, 110 in the positions shown in FIG. 1;however, the springs 128 exert an insufficient force to affect thepositioning of the package 102 as it moves down the entryway 100 suchthat once the package 102 engages both guide members 108, 110 and thepin 126 and slot 120 are positioned to slide relative to one another,the guide members 108, 110 move with little resistance out of the way ofthe package 102 such that, having been centered, the package 102 is thenconveyed by the pusher 130 to the processing station 106.

In the article position apparatus of FIGS. 1-4, it is apparent that thefirst and second levers 116, 118 extend at acute angles relative to theguide members 108, 110. In FIG. 5, an alternate embodiment of articlepositioning apparatus in accordance with the present invention forcentering packages in a package wrapping machine is illustrated whereinthe first and second levers extend at obtuse angles relative to thefirst and second guide members.

Since the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 5 is verysimilar to, yet modified from, that of FIGS. 1-4 to show an alternateoperation of the positioning apparatus and that the functions of thefirst and second levers 116 and 118 can be reversed, elements whichclosely correspond will be identified by the same base numbers but inthe 200 number series. In this embodiment, the first and second articleguide members 208, 210 extend into the entryway 100 for engagingpackages which are being conveyed along the entryway 100. The first andsecond guide members 208, 210 extend toward the processing station 106and are mounted along the sides of the entryway 100 adjacent the infeedstation 104 for pivotal movement about axes defined by posts 212 and 214into and above the entryway 100.

First and second levers 216, 218 are connected to the article guidemembers 208, 210 beneath the entryway 100 via the posts 212, 214 formaintaining the article guide members 208, 210 in an article positioningorientation as shown in FIG. 5 until both of the article guide members208, 210 are engaged by a package which signals substantial positioningor centering of the package on the package entryway 100. The releasablelocking means incorporated into the distal ends of the levers 216, 218is very similar to that of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4.

In FIG. 5 the locking means comprises a release slot 220 formed in thedistal end of the first lever 216 and having locking notches 222, 224extending from opposite sides of its distal or notched end. A pin 226extends from the second lever 218 for engaging the slot 220 and thelocking notches 222, 224. Extension springs 228 bias the levers 216, 218and, hence, the package guide members 208, 210 to an article positioningorientation wherein the pin 126 engages the locking notch 224 formedinto the distal or notched end of the slot 220.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5 it is apparent that once again the articleguide member 210 on the left side of the entryway 100 is restrained frommovement by the pin 226 engaging one of the locking notches, in thiscase, the locking notch 224. Similarly, if a package initially engagesthe article guide member 208, it is pivotally moved outwardly to movethe first lever 216. Accordingly, the slot 220 and the locking notches224, 222 are moved such that the locking notch 222 engages the pin 226to restrain further outward movement of the guide members 208, 210 untila package engages both guide members 208, 210. When the guide member 210is engaged, it is pivotally moved outwardly to remove the pin 226 fromthe locking notch 222 to permit relative movement of the pin 226 withinthe slot 220 and thereby release the guide members 208, 210.

It should be apparent that positioning devices in accordance with thepresent invention can include levers 116, 216, 118, 218, which extend ata large range of angles from acute, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, to obtuse, asshown in FIG. 5, relative to the guide members 108, 208, 110, 210.Similarly, it should be apparent that one of the package guide memberswill be restrained against any movement until both guide members areengaged by an article whereas the other guide member, if initiallyengaged, will move a slight amount to change the engagement of the pinwith the two locking notches. This movement can be performed by eitherthe guide member and associated lever which includes the pin, as shownin FIGS. 1-4, or the guide member and associated lever which includesthe slot and locking notches, as shown in FIG. 5. It is unimportantwhich guide member moves since it is positioned to compensate for suchinitial movement. Further, since the guide members 108, 110, 208, 210are essentially released to permit free movement of an article therebeyond once the article has been positioned by the guide members 108,110, 208, 210, it should be apparent that articles of varying sizes canbe centered as shown in FIGS. 1-5 or positioned to a defined locationrelative to the entryway upon adjustment of the guide members 108, 110,208, 210. An extreme example of such article positioning relative to anentryway will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 forpositioning an article to one side of an entryway.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, a first article guide member 308 ispositioned substantially along the right hand side of the entryway 100.The second guide member 310 angularly extends into and substantiallyacross the entryway 100 toward the package wrapping or processingstation 106. The first and second guide members 308, 310 are mountedalong the sides of the entryway 100 for pivotal movement about axesdefined by posts 312, 314 into and above the entryway 100. The slots 132and the package pusher 130 are skewed to the right side of the packageentryway 100 to better engage and push packages in the embodiment ofFIG. 6.

In FIG. 6 the control means comprise first and second levers 316, 318which are connected to the article guide members 308, 310 beneath theentryway 100 via the posts 312, 314 for maintaining the article guidemembers 308, 310 on an article positioning orientation until both of thearticle guide members 308, 310 are engaged by a package which signalssubstantial positioning of the package.

The first and second levers 316, 318 include releasable locking meansfor locking the first and second guide members 308, 310 for articlepositioning with the locking means being released upon engagement ofboth the first and second guide members 308, 310 by a package. In FIG.6, the locking means comprises an arcuate release slot 320 formed in thedistal end of the first lever 316 and having a locking notch 322extending from one side of the slot 320. A pin 326 extends from thesecond lever 318 for engaging the slot 320 and the locking notch 322.Extension springs 328 bias the levers 316, 318 and hence, the packageguide members 306, 310 to an article positioning orientation wherein thepin 326 engages the locking notch 322 formed into the base or notchedend of the slot 320.

For operation of the package positioning apparatus of FIG. 6, a packageis initially placed into the package entryway 104 and pushed towards thepackage wrapping or processing station 106. Under normal circumstances,the package would engage the guide member 310 and would be squared, ifnecessary, and forced to the right side of the entryway 100 since guidemember 310 is restrained from movement by the pin 326 and the lockingnotch 322. As the package moves to the right of the entryway 100, itwould ultimately contact the guide member 306 which would pivotally movea short distance clockwise to in turn move the lever 316 to disengagethe locking notch 322 from the pin 326 and permit the pin 326 to travelwithin the slot 320. Upon release of the pin 326 from the locking notch322, the guide member 310 moves pivotally outwardly as shown by thearrow 330 to release the package which would have been positioned to theright side of the entryway 100. Pivotal movement of the guide member 310for two packages 102A and 102B is shown by dot-dash lines in FIG. 6.

If the package was initially placed into the entryway 100 along theright hand side such that it initially engaged the guide member 308, theguide member 308 would pivot slightly to the right as before such thatwhen the package contacted the guide member 310, the pin 326 wouldalready have been removed from the locking notch 322 and the guidemember 310 could then move pivotally outwardly to release the package asthe pin 326 moved within the slot 320.

An acute angular orientation between the levers 316, 318 and the guidemembers 308, 310 is shown in FIG. 6 while a corresponding obtuse angularorientation is shown in FIG. 7. It should be apparent that packagescould also be positioned to the left side of the entryway 100 by meansof a reversal of the components as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and that thepin and slot configuration could similarly be reversed in a mannercorresponding to the alternate embodiments of FIGS. 1-4 and FIG. 5.

A large variety of alternate embodiments and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art after a review of the abovedisclosure. For example, various configurations of the pin and slotarrangement of the preferred embodiment will be apparent. In addition,engagement of both guide members could be alternately sensed rather thanby the pin/locking notch/slot mechanical arrangement disclosed. Forexample, electrical sensing switches could be utilized on both guidemembers and an actuable lock used to hold the guide members. When bothswitches were activated, the lock restraining the first and secondlevers could be released with the lock being reinstated on a timed cycleof operation after the switches were deactivated. Accordingly, while themethod herein described and the simple, reliable, mechanical forms ofapparatus for carrying this method into effect, constitute preferredembodiments of this invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to this precise method and these precise forms ofapparatus, and that changes may be made in either without departing fromthe scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Article positioning apparatus for a machinewherein articles are conveyed into said machine along an articleentryway, said article positioning apparatus comprising:first and secondconvergent article guide members mounted along the sides of saidentryway for pivotal movement above and into said entryway for engagingand positioning articles being conveyed along said entryway; first andsecond levers connected to said first and second guide members,respectively, beneath said entryway; and releasable locking meansincorporated into the distal ends of said first and second levers formaintaining said article guide members in an article positioningorientation until both of said first and second article guide membersare engaged by an article upon substantial positioning of said article,said releasable locking means comprising a release slot and a lockingnotch extending from one side of one end of said slot in said firstlever, a pin extending from said second lever for engaging said slot andlocking notch, and resilient means for biasing said levers, and hence,said package guide members, to an article positioning orientationwherein said pin engages said locking notch where by an article movingin said entryway will be positioned by engaging one of said guidemembers which is restrained from movement by said pin and said lockingnotch until said article engages both guide members to remove said pinfrom said locking notch for movement along said slot.
 2. Articlepositioning apparatus for a machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidfirst and second levers extend at acute angles relative to said firstand second guide members, respectively.
 3. Article positioning apparatusfor a machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first and second leversextend at obtuse angles relative to said first and second guide members,respectively.
 4. Article positioning apparatus for a machine as claimedin claim 1 wherein said slot is arcuate.
 5. Article positioningapparatus for a machine wherein articles are conveyed into said machinealong an article entryway, said article positioning apparatuscomprising:first and second convergent article guide members mountedalong the sides of said entryway for pivotal movement above and intosaid entryway for engaging and positioning articles being conveyed alongsaid entryway; first and second levers connected to said first andsecond guide members, respectively, beneath said entryway; andreleasable locking means incorporated into the distal ends of said firstand second levers for maintaining said article guide members in anarticle positioning orientation until both of said first and secondarticle guide members are engaged by an article upon substantialpositioning of said article, said releasable locking means comprising arelease slot and locking notches extending from opposite sides of oneend of said slot in said first lever, a pin extending from said secondlever for engaging said slot and locking notches, and resilient meansfor biasing said levers, and hence, said package guide members to anarticle positioning orientation wherein said pin engages one of saidlocking notches whereby an article moving in said entryway will bepositioned laterally by engaging one of said guide members which isrestrained from movement by said pin and said one locking notch untilsaid article engages both guide members to remove said pin from said onelocking notch for movement along said slot, or an article moving in saidentryway will be positioned by engaging the other of said guide memberwhich will move the associated lever to engage said pin with the otherof said locking notches which restrains said levers and guide membersfrom further movement until said article engages both guide members toremove said pin from said other locking notch for movement along saidslot.
 6. Article positioning apparatus for a machine as claimed in claim5 wherein said first and second levers extend at acute angles relativeto said first and second guide members, respectively.
 7. Articlepositioning apparatus for a machine as claimed in claim 5 wherein saidfirst and second levers extend at obtuse angles relative to said firstand second guide members, respectively.
 8. Article positioning apparatusfor a machine is claimed in claim 5 wherein said slot is arcuate. 9.Article positioning apparatus for a machine having an article infeedstation, an article processing station and an article entryway alongwhich an article is conveyed from said infeed station to said processingstation, said article positioning apparatus comprising:first and secondarticle guide members inwardly directed across a substantial portion ofsaid entryway and extending from the sides thereof for engaging andcentering articles in said entryway; first and second levers connectedto said first and second guide members, respectively, beneath saidentryway; and releasable locking means incorporated into the distal endsof said first and second levers for maintaining said package guidemembers in a package centering position and releasing said package guidemembers to permit the passage of a package once centered on saidentryway, said releasable locking means comprising a release slot andlocking notches extending from opposite sides of one end of said slot insaid first lever, a pin extending from said second lever for engagingsaid slot and locking notches, and resilient means for biasing saidlevers, and hence, said package guide members to an article centeringorientation wherein said pin engages one of said locking notches wherebyan article moving in said entryway also will be moved laterally byengaging one of said guide members which is restrained from movement bysaid pin and said one locking notch until said article is substantiallycentered and engages both guide members to remove said pin from said onelocking notch for movement along said slot, or an article moving in saidentryway will be moved laterally by engaging the other of said guidemembers which will move the associated lever to engage said pin with theother of said locking notches which restrains said levers and guidemembers from further movement until said article is substantiallycentered and engages both guide members to remove said pin from saidother locking notch for movement along said slot.
 10. Articlepositioning apparatus for a machine having an article infeed station, anarticle processing station and an article entryway along which anarticle is conveyed from said infeed station to said processing station,said article positioning apparatus comprising:first and second elongatedarticle guides pivotally mounted near the opposite edges of saidentryway adjacent said infeed station, said article guides extendingtoward said article processing station and extending above and pivotingacross said entryway for engaging and centering articles on saidentryway; a first lever secured to said first elongated article guideand extending inwardly therefrom beneath said article entryway, saidfirst lever defining a slot having first and second locking notchesextending from opposite sides at one notched end thereof; a second leverhaving one end secured to said second elongated article guide andextending inwardly therefrom beneath said article entryway, said secondlever having a pin extending from its other end, said first and secondelongated article guides being controlled by coupling said pin into saidslot; and resilient means for biasing said first and second elongatedarticle guides into said entryway and said pin into said first lockingnotch in the notched end of said slot, said first locking notchpreventing movement of said second elongated article guide if engaged byan article being conveyed along said entryway until said article alsoengages said first elongated article guide to remove said pin from saidfirst locking notch and permit movement of said pin within said slot,said first lever being moved to transfer said pin from said firstlocking notch to said second locking notch if a package first engagessaid first elongated article guide, any further movement of said firstelongated article guide being prevented by said pin and said secondlocking notch until said article also engages said second elongatedarticle guide to remove said pin from said second locking notch topermit movement of said pin within said slot whereby said first andsecond elongated article guides pivotally move outwardly to permit anarticle to pass to said article processing station only upon engagementof said article with both guides which occurs when said article issubstantially centered on said entryway.
 11. Article positioningapparatus for a machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein said resilientmeans comprises first and second tension springs extending between saidfirst and second levers and said machine.
 12. Article positioningapparatus for a machine as claimed in claim 10 wherein said slot isarcuate.
 13. Article positioning apparatus for a machine having anarticle infeed station, an article processing station and an articleentryway along which an article is conveyed from said infeed station tosaid processing station, said article positioning apparatuscomprising:first and second elongated article guides pivotally mountednear the opposite edges of said entryway adjacent said infeed station,said article guides extending toward said article processing station andextending above and pivoting across said entryway for engaging andcentering articles on said entryway; a first lever secured to said firstelongated article guide and extending inwardly therefrom beneath saidarticle entryway, said first lever defining a slot having first andsecond locking notches extending from opposite sides at one notched endthereof; a second lever having one end secured to said second elongatedarticle guide and extending inwardly therefrom beneath said articleentryway, said second lever having a pin extending from its other end,said first and second elongated article guides being controlled bycoupling said pin into said slot; and resilient means for biasing saidfirst and second elongated article guides into said entryway and saidpin into said first locking notch in the notched end of said slot, saidfirst locking notch and said pin preventing movement of said firstelongated article guide if engaged by an article being conveyed alongsaid entryway until said article also engages said second elongatedarticle guide to remove said pin from said first locking notch andpermit movement of said pin within said slot, said second lever beingmoved to transfer said pin from said first locking notch to said secondlocking notch if a package first engages said second elongated articleguide, any further movement of said second elongated article guide beingprevented by said pin and said second locking notch until said articlealso engages said first elongated article guide to remove said pin fromsaid second locking notch to permit movement of said pin within saidslot whereby said first and second elongated article guides pivotallymove outwardly to permit an article to pass to said article processingstation only upon engagement of said article with both guides whichoccurs when said article is substantially centered on said entryway. 14.Article positioning apparatus for a machine as claimed in claim 13wherein said resilient means comprises first and second tension springsextending between said first and second levers and said machine. 15.Article positioning apparatus for a machine as claimed in claim 13wherein said slot is arcuate.
 16. In an article conveyor having aninfeed station for receiving articles therein, an outfeed station towardwhich articles are conveyed and an article pusher for moving articlesfrom the infeed station to the outfeed station, improved articlealignment apparatus for positioning articles laterally with respect tothe conveyor during passage of the articles from the infeed station tothe outfeed station comprising:a pair of laterally-movable guide memberspositioned on opposite sides of said conveyor and converging from theinfeed station toward the outfeed station when in an article positioningorientation to define a throat having a lateral dimension no greaterthan articles as dimensioned across the conveyor; first and secondlevers connected to said first and second guide members, respectively,beneath said entryway; and releasable locking means incorporated intothe distal ends of said first and second levers for sensing whether anarticle being conveyed is misaligned relative to a desired lateralposition, said misalignment being indicated by said article contactingone of said guide members, said releasable locking means comprising arelease slot and locking notches extending from opposite sides of oneend of said slot in said first lever, a pin extending from said secondlever for engaging said slot and locking notches, and resilient meansfor biasing said levers, and hence, said package guide members to anarticle positioning orientation wherein said pin engages one of saidlocking notches for locking said guide members in said articlepositioning orientation to cause the article to move laterally towardsaid desired lateral position as it is moved along said conveyor untilthe article contacts the other guide member upon reaching substantialalignment at said desired lateral position to remove said pin from saidone locking notch for movement along said slot, or an article moving insaid entryway will be positioned by engaging the other of said guidemembers which will move the associated lever to engage said pin with theother of said locking notches which restrains said levers and guidemembers from further movement until said article engages both guidemembers to remove said pin from said other locking notch for movementalong said slot whereby outward lateral movement of both guide membersenables free passage of said article through said outfeed station..Iadd.
 17. In an article conveyor having an infeed station for receivingarticles therein, an outfeed station toward which articles are conveyedand an article pusher for moving articles from the infeed station to theoutfeed station, improved article alignment apparatus for positioningarticles laterally with respect to the conveyor during passage of thearticles from the infeed station to the outfeed station comprising:firstand second laterally-movable guide members positioned on opposite sidesof said conveyor and converging from the infeed station toward theoutfeed station when in an article positioning orientation to define athroat extending across the conveyor; means biasing said guide memberstoward each other and toward said article positioning orientation;cooperating first and second levers connected to said first and secondguide members, respectively, beneath said infeed station; releasablelocking means incorporated into the distal ends of said first and secondlevers for determining whether an article being conveyed is aligned withor misaligned relative to a desired lateral alignment along theconveyor, alignment being indicated by article contact with both guidemembers and misalignment being indicated by initial article contact withone only of said guide members, said releasable locking means comprisinginterengageable pin means and notch means on different ones of saidlevers which, when engaged, prevent movement of said levers and guidemembers if only one guide member is contacted by a misaligned articleand which, when both of said guide members are contacted by an alignedarticle, disengage to permit the levers and guide members to enable freepassage of the aligned article through said throat as it widens; andmeans for maintaining said levers for movement in unison whenever bothguide members are in contact with an article. .Iaddend. .Iadd.18. Anarticle conveyor as claimed in claim 17 wherein said pusher has a frontpushing face extending perpendicular to said conveyor, whereby, when anarticle being conveyed in rectangular and is canted relative to theinfeed station, initial pusher contact with the canted article willsquare the article and align its trailing edge with the pusher face asthe pusher advances the article toward said throat, said squaringoccurring before the article contacts either of said guide members..Iaddend. .Iadd.19. Article positioning apparatus for a machine whereinarticles are conveyed into said machine along an article entryway, saidarticle positioning apparatus comprising: first and second convergentarticle guide members mounted along the sides of said entryway forpivotal movement above and into said entryway for engaging andpositioning articles being conveyed along said entryway; means biasingsaid guide members toward each other to an original position; first andsecond levers connected to said first and second guide members formovement therewith on their pivotal axes, respectively, beneath saidentryway; releasable locking means incorporated into the distal ends ofsaid first and second levers for maintaining said article guide membersin an article positioning orientation until both of said first andsecond article guide members are engaged by an article upon substantialpositioning of said article, said releasable locking means comprisingmeans for determining whether an article being conveyed is aligned withor misaligned relative to a desired lateral alignment along theconveyor, alignment being indicated by article contact with both guidemembers and misalignment being indicated by initial article contact withone only of said guide members, said releasable locking means comprisinginterengageable pin means and notch means on different ones of saidlevers which, when engaged, prevent movement of said levers and guidemembers if only one guide member is contacted by a misaligned articleand which, when both of said guide members are contacted by an alignedarticle, disengage to permit the levers and guide members to enable freepassage of the aligned article along said entryway; and means formaintaining said levers for movement in unison whenever both guidemembers are in contact with an article. .Iaddend. .Iadd.20. An articleconveyor as claimed in claim 19 wherein said maintaining means isconstructed to assure realignment of said notch and pin means forreengagement after the article has passed beyond said guide members andthe members and levers are returned to their original positions by saidbiasing means. .Iaddend. .Iadd.21. In an article conveyor having aninfeed station for receiving articles therein, an outfeed station towardwhich articles are conveyed and an article pusher for moving articlesfrom the infeed station to the outfeed station, improved articlealignment apparatus for positioning articles laterally with respect tothe conveyor during passage of the articles from the infeed station tothe outfeed station comprising:first and second laterally-movable guidemembers positioned on opposite sides of said conveyor and convergingfrom the infeed station toward the outfeed station when in an articlepositioning orientation to define a throat having a lateral dimension nogreater than articles as dimensioned across the conveyor; means biasingsaid guide members toward each other and toward an original position inwhich said throat is at its initial dimension; cooperating first andsecond levers each connected at one end to said first and second guidemembers, respectively, beneath said infeed station; releasable lockingmeans incorporated into the distal ends of said first and second leversfor determining whether an article being conveyed is aligned with ormisaligned relative to a desired lateral alignment along the conveyor,alignment being indicated by article contact with both guide members,said releasable locking means comprising interengageable pin means andnotch means on different ones of said levers which, when engaged,prevent movement of at least one of said levers if only its associatedguide member is contacted by a misaligned article and which, when bothof said guide members are contacted by an aligned article, readilydisengage to permit the levers and guide members to enable free passageof the aligned article through said throat as it widens; and means formaintaining said levers for movement in unison whenever both guidemembers are in contact with an article. .Iaddend.